I Can't Do This Anymore
by TaichiKoi
Summary: Everyone has forgotten about what happened between Travis and Lily years ago. Or at least, for Travis Strong, he's been trying to. [Revised] [Completed]
1. Chapter One

**I Can't Do This Anymore**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything but the plot, so don't bother suing me. You'll only get the lent from my pockets.

Summary: The RFR gang is all cool now and everything it back to normal. Except Travis can't seem to take is mind off Lily. And Lily can't seem to stop thinking about her music. Ray is still in tug-of-war with his feelings for Lily. Yup, love triangle. Who wind up with whom? And where's Robbie?

**Chapter One**

"And I'm Pronto, signing off." Ray stated as Travis turned off the power to the station from the control booth.

The RFR gang took off their headsets, as both Robbie and Ray stretched in their seats at the table. Lily yawned a little, putting her guitar back in its case while tucking some of her hair behind her ear. Travis came out of the control booth and walked over to the others.

"Good show, you guys," he stated, glancing at Lily as she put her guitar away. Then he looked at Ray and Robbie, hoping they didn't see the glance.

Robbie stood and nodded at what Travis said. "Yeah, it was a good show. One of our best. I can't believe I opened up asking 'Can motion sickness be hereditary?'" Robbie laughed a little and shook his head.

Lily stood up and smiled. "Well, it seemed silly, but the callers really liked it, apparently. We had 26 callers after all." Lily stated as she swung her green bag over her shoulder, walking towards the door. Ray followed suit, grabbing his blue and black many pocketed backpack. "Wait up, Lily, I'll walk you home."

Travis glared at Ray a little and the look wasn't missed by Robbie, as he watched the scene unfold. '_What was that look about?'_ Robbie thought as he walked towards the door as well.

"Thanks, Ray" Lily said as she smiled, opening the door, leading the way out, with Ray close behind.

Robbie looked at the two when they exited, then at Travis. "You still like her, don't you?" Robbie asked, getting straight to the point.

Travis sighed. "Is it that obvious?" he asked while walking towards the door, picking up his brown backpack that awaited him on the sofa. There was no point in denying it with Robbie.

"Only to somebody who knows you really well," Robbie said, opening the door for them.

"You don't need to worry about me chasing after her or anything. I've given up on her. I just hope Ray does something or else someone else might come along and…Well, get to her first," Travis said with a slight strain to his voice. He walked out, not wanting to discuss it any further.

'_Then what was that look about back there?_' Robbie wanted to ask, and then shrugged, walking out of room himself.

**Following Day at school, morning time**

Ray and Lily sat on their usual steps in the hallway at school, just before first bell. Lily laughed at something Ray said while hitting him on the arm, her signature move.

"Owe…" Ray whined as he rubbed his arm, mocking pain. "Not cool, Lily."

Lily only smiled sweetly at him. "Like you're going to do something about it," she said. Ray blushed slightly at her smile and hoped she didn't take notice.

Travis did, as he watched the two of them while he walked up to them slowly. '_Why do you care, Strong? So what if you guys shared a few kisses two years ago. She probably forgotten all about it,_' Travis thought to himself. "_So how come I can't…_" he mumbled. He told himself to calm down and act casual. He had to get over it. It was two years and what's done is done. He had his chance.

"Hey, man. Hey, Lily," Travis greeted them as he took his seat on the step below them.

"Hi, Travis," Lily greeted back sweetly, smiling.

"Hey, Travis," Ray said, smiling a little himself.

Lily glanced down at her watch. "I wonder where Robbie is. He's going to miss first bell if he doesn't come in the next minute." She said, getting up from her seat while swinging her bag over her shoulder, accidentally hitting Ray on the head in the process.

"Owe! Lily, did you do that on purpose?" Ray said, not really getting angry, since it is Lily after all, and he never really could bring himself to be mad at her, even if she hits him.

Lily covered her mouth. "Oh no, Ray, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do it, honest." She said, rubbing Rays head, checking for any bumps or bruises she may have caused.

Ray smiled a bit, but then placed a fake upset look on his face. "Yeah, right. Hitting me on the arm is one thing, but now you're going for my head? It's on now." He said as he got up.

Lily held her arms out, backing up on the steps slowly. "Now, Ray. I told you, it was an accident."

"Accident, my butt," Ray came closer, getting in reaching range. '_I'm going to tease her a bit with this,'_ he thought, grabbing onto one of her arms. "Prepare yourself, Randal, for the-"

Ray didn't get to finish. Travis was up and had his hand gripped on Ray's arm in a flash. "Let her go."

Ray turned slowly towards Travis, letting Lily's arm go. Lily looked at the two. '_Why does this look a bit familiar?_' she thought, looking at the cold expression on Travis's face to a confused and slightly angered Ray.

"What's your problem, Strong?"

Travis looked at Ray straight in the eye, still gripping Ray's arm. "You are."

To be continued.


	2. Chapter Two

Quick review: I don't own these characters, so don't bother suing me. Left off with the tension was mounting between Ray and Travis.

Special Thanks: To everyone who reviewed my story! It really made my day reading your thoughts and insights. I'm sorry if anything of it was hard to follow or for any errors I made. Wow, I didn't expect so many reviews. Thanks again!

Chapter Two

Ray looked down at Travis's hand clutching onto his arm, then looked at Travis in the face, his eyes getting hard.

"I am, am I? Well then, Swami, what are you going to do about it, huh? Are you going to flip over my lunch tray like you did to that jock a couple of years ago and pick a fight with me?" Ray asked, his voice going cold, remembering the event. And everything else that was before and after it.

Lily looked at the two, a worried expression on her face. '_This isn't good. I could have sworn we all have forgotten about that and moved on….Please, let them walk away from this smiling. C'mon Ray, say you're joking._' Lily thought frantically.

Travis drew in a breath, willing himself to calm down. '_I really need to stop acting like this. Stunts like this are what drove Audrey away…_' Travis slowly let Ray's arm go and smiled a little, trying to play it off.

"Sorry, Ray. I don't know what got a hold of me. When I saw you going after Lily, it made me want to join in on the fun." As soon as the words left Travis's mouth, he knew it sounded lame, but what choice did he have?

"I mean, I always see you two playing and being so close, and I never really had that when I was in any other school. So I thought it would be okay if I joined in. Sorry…" Travis went one, knowing they were not going to buy into this. '_But in a way, it is kind of true._' Travis thought, looking at Ray. '_Let's hope he believes it._'

Ray eyed Travis for a few seconds, and then smiled his goofy grin. "It's cool, man. Just ease up on that grip of yours," Ray stated, grabbing his blue and black many pocketed backpack off the steps.

Lily sighed in relief and smiled. "Well, guys. Let's get going. We don't want to be la-"

Just then, the first bell rung and everyone groaned.

"Late…" Lily finished as she walked her way up the steps. Ray followed, since they had the same first bell and Travis watched them walk away, sagging against the wall.

"I really need to mediate, maybe it'll help calm down my nerves." He stated as he sighed and sat on the school floor, not really wanting to go to first bell now.

**That following night, at Lily's house**

Lily was on her bed, listening to her CD player on low volume when she heard a knock on her door. Without looking up from her homework she was doing, she told the person to 'come in', thinking it was probably her mom or dad.

The person opened the door and walked in, closing the door behind them.

"Lily…"

Lily blinked, almost recognizing the deep male voice. '_But_ _it couldn't be him…_,' Lily thought, glancing up from her notebooks and text books that were scattered all over her bed. She gasped when she saw who it was.

"Travis!"

Travis smiled a little. "The one and only," He stated as he walked over towards her bed, ignoring all the books and CD cases that were on her bedroom floor.

Lily sat up and watched Travis make his way over to her. "What are you doing here? I didn't even know you knew where I lived.' She stated curiously, her mind buzzing with thoughts.

Travis only smiled that mysterious smile of his, stopping his small journey through Lily's room, standing at the foot of the bed. He looked down at her, ignoring the books on her bed and just focused his gaze on her. Lily blinked as she looked back at him, getting confused with each second that passed.

"I started walking home after our RFR session, when for some reason, my legs seem to walk me over to your place. As I stood outside you door, it was like my body was acting on its own. One moment I was standing in the control booth, and then the next, I'm walking up your steps, coming into your room." Travis stated, picking up a few of Lily's books and placing them on the floor, taking a seat on her bed.

"Um…" Lily did not know if she should have been amazed by this or a little creep out.

"But then I realized…" Travis went on. "I had to come here."

"Why?" Lily asked, unsure if she wanted to know the answer or not.

"To do this."

Travis grabbed the back of Lily's neck gently and pulled her in for a kiss.

A/N: Oh wow, I didn't know I was going to head in that direction. But then I thought, why not? How do you think Lily will react to this? Will Ray find out about this kiss too, like before? And where the heck is Robbie? All questions, and then some, will be answered in the next chapter, hopefully. Please take the time to review if you read this. Flames are welcomed; they'll keep me warm at night.


	3. Chapter Three

Quick Review: Don't own the characters, so don't bother suing me. Left off when Travis kissed Lily when he showed up in her room. What will Lily do?

Special Thanks: To everyone who reviewed my story! When I come home from school, reading your reviews really make my day. Thanks again! I'll try to make this chapter longer than the last one.

Chapter Three

Lily's eyes widen, not expecting Travis to be so forward like that. '_He's usually so passive…_,' she thought, not sure if she should response to the sudden display of affection.

Before she could though, Travis pulled back and gave her an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, Lily. I do not know what came over me." He stood, letting her neck go and looked down at her still seated on the bed. "I should go."

Lily did not utter a single word as Travis walked out of her room and out of her home, into the night. She was too dazed, too confused to stop him. She simply looked at the partly opened door, no thoughts coming into her mind.

**Following Day at School**

'_Math class sucks so badly today. This school really needs to hire better substitutes_.' Lily thought as she sat at her desk in class the following day. She dully watched the substitute scribble equations on the board that seem to look awfully familiar. '_Wait a minute here, those equations is from last weeks notes_.' Lily thought on, laying her head on her arms on the desk, not bothering to write down the notes. She sighed, wishing there was someone in the class she could talk to, or at the very least, give those knowing glances that the sub was boring. In her science class, she would usually write and pass notes to Ray if the lesson was boring, but that won't happen for another hour or so, since it was only third bell.

Her eyes lazily looked at the desk on her right, her mind wondering where the occupant was. '_Travis….He didn't show up this morning_.' Lily thought back on what happened last night, which caused her to blush a little. She buried her head in her arms as she thought about how soft Travis's lips were, how gentle he was with her. _'I can't believe we kissed again. It's been so long...I forgot how nice a kisser he was. Soft and slow, not too demanding, but just right…_' Her mind wander that way until the bell rang, signaling the students to go to their next class, which was lunch. Lily sat her head up and looked around the now empty classroom, noticing that even the substitute left. _'I wonder how that guy worked up an appetite, all he was doing was scribbling old notes on the board_.' Lily thought, standing up from her seat, stretching a bit. She grabbed her backpack and headed towards the door. She was stopped short by a person standing in the doorway.

Lily's eyes widen as she drunk in the sight of Travis standing only half a foot in front of her. She looked at his outfit and noticed that there was something different about the way he was dressed. He had on a white button down shirt, which was opened, exposing his black shirt that laid underneath. Her eyes traveled down to his beige khaki pants, followed by his white Sketchers gym shoes.

"Um…How come you weren't here this morning?" Lily asked softly, looking up at his eyes with difficulty.

"I needed the extra hours of sleep, to help clear my mind." Travis answered, walking into the classroom a little while closing the door behind him. He leaned back against it and looked at her, his eyes searching hers.

Lily tried to hold the gaze. "Oh. You didn't miss much. We had a sub and he didn't really know what he was doing. He wrote up equations on the board from last weeks notes. I didn't bother writing them down, since I already had them, you know? A bit pointless." She knew she was rambling, but she had no choice. Lily knew she couldn't deal with another repeat of last night. A repeat of two years ago. Watching him leave the first time was saddening, but last night seemed worse. Like the kiss was a mistake. Like a regret.

"I see," was all Travis said before taking a step closer to Lily.

She took a step back. "Um…Are you hungry? Because it's lunch time and we really should meet up with the others…"

Another step.

Another step back. "Travis?"

Another step and he was only two inches away from her. "Yes?" he answered simply.

"Do you want to go to lunch? Meet up with the others?"

"No."

An awkward silence fell upon the two. Only noises heard were teens running, walking or talking in the hall. Little jingle tones and beeps from people's cell phones. The occasional rustle of leaves from the opened window on the other side of the room, paper flapping ever so lightly from the breeze from its seat upon the teacher's desk.

Lily took a step around Travis. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm going to get something to eat." But before she could walk no more than three inches, Travis gently caught her arm and she turned to look at him once more.

"Please don't leave, Lily." Travis said sincerely, softly, letting her arm go slowly.

Lily blinked. "Is there something you need to tell me?" she asked.

Travis took in a deep breath and begun. "Lily, I've tried forgetting what happened those years ago. I've tried mediating your face, your eyes, and your smile out of my mind. I've tried stepping aside, trying hard not to get engulfed in my feelings for you. But none of it worked, apparently. I ended up kissing you again, completely getting controlled by my emotions." Travis stopped, looking off to the side before continuing. "I once heard that a man controlled by his emotions is a target and a fool. And he was right, I am a fool. And for that, I'm sorry," he finished softly.

Tears well up in Lily's eyes and she shook her head. "You are not a fool. And there is nothing to be sorry for. Don't make it sound like the kisses were a mistake, because they weren't. At least, not to me…I enjoyed them greatly, to tell you the truth. Today in math class, I was just thinking about how nice a kisser you were, how thoughtful your kiss was…" Lily looked down and blushed a scarlet red. "I shouldn't have said the last part."

Travis looked at her, watched how she bowed her head, her hair covering her face like a shield. Travis took a step closer, lifting her chin up slowly with his right index finger. He saw the deep blush, the unshed tears threatening to leak out from her eyes as she gazed up at him. "Lily…" he breathed before closing the inches up between them with a tender kiss. The tears spilled out of her eyes as she closed them, kissing Travis back. He gently wiped them away, cupping her face into his hands, laying them on her cheeks softly. He deepens the kiss just a tad, closing his eyes as well, not wanting the moment to end.

A bell rang, but the two didn't notice. The noise of pounding sneakers against the tiled floor in the hall, heading in various directions, didn't faze them a bit. They were so wrapped up in their passionate kiss, so lost within their own world that they were unaware of the audience that gathered outside the classroom door.

A cough sounded, soon followed by a male voice. "Mr. Strong, Ms. Randal, PDA's is to be held off of school property."

Travis and Lily pulled their lips off each other slowly and looked in the direction the voice came from.

"Principal Waller!" Lily squealed, covering her mouth, the blush coming back ten fold upon her face. Travis looked nervously at Mr. Waller, and then noticed the students that were behind him, who were watching the scene with gawking eyes. Among those eyes were Robbie McGrath's dark brown ones, which held surprised and a slight disappointed look to them.

"In my office, you two. Now." Principal Waller stated, turning around, shooing the students to go to class as he walked in the direction of his office down the hall.

Travis glanced at Lily, who looked nervous and tense. "I guess we better follow him…" he said offhandedly, walking towards the door, with Lily not too far behind. Robbie was still standing there as they made their way to the doorway, as a few students behind him made their way into class.

"You guys…" he started to say, not sure on what to say.

"Please, Robbie, let's not talk about it right now." Lily said softly as she walked behind Travis, who kept walking down the hall, avoiding Robbie and the other student's eyes as they watched him.

Robbie shook his head and headed inside the classroom while the two made their way to Waller's office.

'_Instead of hearing them talk about their kiss, I actually witnessed it. Saw them in a tight lip-lock. I can't tell Ray, but what kind of friend would I be if I didn't?_' Robbie thought, sitting at his desk in the back of the class. '_Not again…Why is this happening again?_' He watched the substitute talk about some equations, but he was only half paying attention, his mind elsewhere. '_What should I do?_'

TBC.

Well, I certainly made it longer, but is it better? Let me know. I really tried to keep them all in character and be true to the show as much as possible.

Sneak peek on the next Chapter:

…Mr. Waller's "sex talk"

…Ray loosing his cool once and for all. (Huge fight!)

…Lily crying while looking at a knife. Uh oh.

Stay tuned as more drama unfolds.


	4. Chapter Four

Quick Review: Don't own the characters, so don't bother suing. Left off with Travis and Lily being caught kissing by Principal Waller. Robbie also saw them too, and starts to wonder a few things. Wondering if he should tell Ray or not.

Special Thanks: To everyone who reviewed my last 3 chapters. You all are the best. And thanks everyone for all your wonderful suggestions, I will consider putting some of all your ideas into my fic.

**Chapter Four**

'_There is nothing worse than having a grown man, especially your principal, talk to you about sex education_.' Lily groaned inwardly as she sat a little slumped in the leather seat in Waller's office. She glanced over at Travis, who was seated next to her, his back straight in a tense-like matter, his eyes glued to the wall behind Waller. '_I wonder if he's actually listening to what Principal Waller has to say..._' Lily thought, turning her eyes away from Travis and to Waller again.

"Now, I know at your age, hormones are…Ragging in some sort and it's natural to want to act upon those urges, but school is not the place for it. The occasional holding hands and hugs are acceptable, but beyond that are not. I myself remember what it was like to want a kiss from a girl I liked and maybe a bit more, but I had self-restraint and self-control. And you two need that. If I catch you two again in such a compromising act, I will have to inform your parents. Well, off to class now." Principal Waller finished, shooing them away with his hand.

Lily got up from her seat and looked at Travis, who remained in his seat.

"Um, Travis, we can go now." Lily said, touching his shoulder gently.

Travis blinked and shook his head a little, standing up. "Okay." The two walked out of the office and silently headed towards their remaining classes.

**after school, in the RFR room**

Robbie sat in his usual seat in the RFR room, as he tried to focus on his set for the days show. He went over and over the lines he wrote on his yellow note pad, but his mind couldn't help but think about what happened just a few hours ago. '_Travis was kissing Lily…And it did not seem like a friendly little kiss between friends either. He was holding her so close while she had her arms wrapped around his neck so tenderly. They seemed so….Passionate, it would have made me happy to see my friends finally hooking up, if I wasn't so envious of it…_' Robbie stopped his train of thought and blinked.

He glanced around the studio, wondering where everyone was, coming up with all sorts of possibilities in order to keep his mind from wandering in that area again. He heard the sound of the door open and let his eyes travel over there, watching Ray stroll in as he tossed his backpack on the ruffled up couch that needed a bit of a cleaning job done to it.

"Hey, Robbie. Where is everyone?" Ray asked, taking his seat across Robbie, looking around.

"I don't know. They need to get here soon though, we're about to start in 5 minutes."

As soon as Robbie said that, Travis and Lily rushed into the room, out of breath as they took their positions, mumbling a "sorry" to the Ray and Robbie.

Ray looked at Lily, noticing her hair slightly ruffled and her lips a little more pink than usual and sort of swollen. He shook his head and thought it off as some new lipstick.

Robbie noticed the small changes in Lily too and frowned, then glanced over at Travis, noticing his button down blue shirt slightly rumbled and buttoned wrong.

Robbie's frown deepened. '_I don't like the looks of this…_'

Travis turned on the system and counting down the seconds with his fingers. "We're on in….5…4…3…2…"

"Welcome to..." Travis started off.

"Radio…." Ray chimed in.

"Free…" Lily joined.

"Roscoe…" Robbie finished, making his mind concentrate on RFR and only RFR.

"I'm Question Mark and I'm wondering….Can T.V. really brainwash children these days or is T.V. actually being influenced by the kids?" Robbie asked, letting his alter-ego take over for the show.

"Well, considering how a child's mind works now-a-days, they're most likely to be found in front of a computer screen instead of a T.V." Pronto, aka Ray, answered, smiling a little. "I mean, if kids were really being brainwashed by it, wouldn't you see more of them dressed like little Pikachus or ninjas?"

The others laughed a little at that. "The new craze with Japanese Animation has actually influenced kids' dramatically in recent years. Countries all over the world host conventions just for it and you would not believe how many people were dressed as anime characters." Smog, aka Travis, stated, remembering his life back in Japan.

"That may be true, but wouldn't that, along with other shows, just prove that kids are being brainwashed?" Question Mark asked.

"Well, I wouldn't really call it brainwashing, more like being influence by images of colors, lights and spunky characters." Shady Lane, aka Lily, said, leaning back in her seat.

Smog held up the chalkboard that read "Lindsey" on it.

"Lindsey, you're on the air. What do you think?" Question Mark asked, punching the small red button on the phone.

"I think that more kids are into that anime stuff, cause like, they even have books on it now, and its like, more kids are reading than watching T.V." Lindsey answered.

After about twenty callers, music from various artists and some laughs, the RFR gang ended the show. They all took off their headsets; Ray, Robbie and Lily stretching some.

"That one caller, the one wouldn't stop talking about the show Naruto, almost made me want to watch the show, too." Lily said, standing up and stretching more.

Ray nodded. "Yeah, almost. I'll rather play my video game Soul Calibur II though than watch some kids fight with some bad guys." Ray stated, pushing his seat back as he stood up.

Robbie chuckled and stood too, walking over to the couch to grab his grey one shouldered backpack.

"Actually, Ray, if I remember correctly, that game was made in Japan. And it sort of holds the same purpose. Good vs. Evil basic scenario." Travis said, coming out of the tech booth, leaning against the doorframe of it.

Ray shrugged. "Maybe, but I'll stick to just beating some evil guy's butt on my own instead of watching a kid do it."

"But, Ray, aren't you basically letting the character of your choosing beat the crap out of the other character, but you're just controlling the movements?" Lily asked with a slight smirk on her face.

Ray blushed a bit. "Maybe. But oh well." He shrugged again and walked over to Robbie, who was holding the thin metal door open, grabbing his backpack, heading out. Robbie grinned and followed, closing the door behind them.

Travis made his way over to Lily and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Alone at last." He kissed her cheek softly and smiled. Lily smiled too and giggled a bit. "Just couldn't wait to have me in your arms again, huh?" she teased, circling her arms around his neck.

Travis kissed her on the lips, nibbling on her bottom one a little, muttering a simple "nope" before kissing her deeply. Lily moaned softly, closing her eyes.

**Meanwhile…**

Ray walked along the railroad tracks leading towards his home when he remembered he forgot his history notes in Lily's binder. He let her borrowed them since she was absent a few days ago. "_Darn it and I was almost home too. Oh well, at least I get to see Lily's face again before the night's over_." Ray turned around and started walking to the RFR station again, a smile on his face from just thinking about Lily.

**Back in the RFR station…**

Travis had Lily pinned down on her back against the big table that held their headsets, play lists, three phones and a few wires that hooked up to the tech booth. He kissed along her neck, running his strong hands up her pink tank top slowly. Her legs were at his sides, slightly hanging off the table as her arms held him by his shoulders. Travis ran his lips up to her face, laying small kisses across it.

_There was creak of a door opening… _

_Followed by a gasp… _

_Footsteps accessed into the room…_

_Grabbing of clothing happened in a flash…_

_A yank and a push of a body…_

_On the floor laid a pair of bodies…_

_One pinning down the other…_

_Punches being thrown at a face…_

_A girl's cry can be heard too…_

"Ray, stop!" Lily cried, pulling at his waist from behind, trying to get him off Travis, with not much luck.

After a few more hits, Ray stopped and pushed Lily's arms off him, standing up. One of his eyes was slightly swollen and red from Travis's heavy punch. His nose was bleeding from the left nostril, while his shirt was ripped in about three different places, all from Travis trying to push him off. Ray looked down at Travis, who was still on the floor, his eyes holding a great deal of anger and sadness.

"I can't believe you did this to me again, Travis. How could you…" Ray asked, his voice strained, sniffing his nose to keep the blood from coming out more.

Travis sat up and groaned slightly, Ray's punches leaving aches over his shoulders and face. His cheek was red and swollen, while his shirt lost a few buttons in the fight. Travis looked up at Ray then glanced over at Lily, who was crying silently to herself, hugging her arms to her chest as she watched.

"Ray, I have tried over and over again to ignore my feelings for Lily. And for a good year or so after the…Incident, I started to forget my feelings for her and stepped aside, trying to let you have a chance…But did you do anything? No!" Travis yelled, finally getting pissed about something once in his life, standing up, staggering a little. He looked at Ray, daring him with his eyes to oppose it.

Ray's anger reached a new high. "Shut up! You don't know how hard it's been for me to hold all my feelings inside about this. And yeah, so what if I waited too long by your stand point. I don't want to rush things, like you! How dare you be so forward with her like that? You act like you're all conservative and collected, but deep down, you're just like any other hormonal male out there. Showing no respect for her at all. You make me sick…" Ray's words strung inside Travis and he inwardly flinched.

Lily couldn't take it anymore and ran out of the room, her sobs leaving an echo inside the room as Ray and Travis watched her go.

"Now look at what you did!" Ray shouted, chasing after her.

Travis heard the door close a second time and let out a frustrated cry, hitting the floor with his closed fist. He looked down at his hand and shook his head as hot tears spilled down his cheeks, something he haven't felt in such a long time. He often wondered if he even remembered how to cry. He laughed bitterly and thought what his father would say if he saw him like this. Looking so weak and helpless, like a lost newborn kitten.

**Outside…**

Ray never managed to catch up to Lily; he forgot how fast that girl can run when she really gives it her all. He sat on his bed with the blue ocean water sheets and two pillows the same color, thinking about if he should call her or not. '_She's probably mad at me right now. Pissed, even. But…I can't just sit here,_' he thought, reaching over to his nightstand that held his silver lamp and his black cordless phone. He picked it up and press the speed dial to Lily's home, hoping she'd pick up.

"C'mon Lily, pick up pick up." Ray mumbled, listening to the ringing, then groaned when he received her answering machine.

**Meanwhile, at Lily's Home**…

"Hello. You have reached the Randal's. We are unavailable to take your call at the moment. Please leave a brief message with your name and number after the beep and we'll get back to you shortly….Beep."

Lily didn't feel like answering the phone, she knew who it would be. All her attention was focused on what laid in her hands as she vaguely listened to his voice.

"Hey, Lily. Look, I'm sorry…I don't know what came over me…I just….Please, Lily, pick up. I need to make sure you're okay…I need to hear your voice to tell me you're fine….Lily…." A sigh. "Okay then…I'll let you be." Ray hung up.

Lily dragged the small pocket knife on its side over her wrist slowly, tears falling down into her lap and down her cheeks. "I just want this all to end…"

TBC.


	5. Chapter Five

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Summer has been so chaotic. I know, not a good excuse, but it's true. Plus I had writer's block for the longest, so again, really sorry. As always, R&R. And no, I do not own RFR. If I did, I would make the new season air already!

Quick Recap: Left off where Ray and Travis got into a fight and Lily ran home, thinking about doing the unthinkable. Uh oh.

**Chapter Five**

Robbie barraged into Lily's home and rushed over, smacking the pocket knife out of her hand. Lily looked up at him, startled.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? You think that doing this will solve anything? Do you know how horrible that would make Ray feel? And Travis? And well…Me as well." Robbie stated, close to tears.

Lily blinked back hers and wiped her warm cheeks. "Robbie…How…"

"How did I get here? Ray called me about 20 minutes ago, saying that he feels like crap and how he made the biggest mistake of his life and how he couldn't get a hold of you. So he sent me here in his place, thinking that you'd be mad at him. So, Lily, care to explain what happened and why you had a knife!"

Lily looked down into her lap and sighed. "You see…"

**Meanwhile With Travis…**

'_I need to get away for a while until things cool down. Ray hates me, I'm pretty sure Robbie will too once he hears the news and Lily…_' Travis sighed as his thoughts turned to her. _'Lily, please forgive me, for I am going to be a bit selfish_.' He picked up his green bag from the floor and left the RFR station, leaving behind a simple message scribbled on the chalkboard inside the tech booth.

**Back in Lily's Room…**

"I see" was all Robbie could say after Lily told him what happened not too long ago. He was seated on her bed, a good foot or so of space in between them. He looked at Lily and sighed.

"Robbie, I am really sorry." She said suddenly.

Robbie raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"For all this. I never meant for this to happen…"

"And am I blaming you because it did? You can't help it when love pulls a sneak attack on you. You don't need to apologize for anything. Well, aside from the knife thing, which will never ever happen again, right?"

Lily looked at Robbie and smiled a little, the first one she had in the past few hours. "Right."

Robbie smiled and hugged her, then stood up. "Well, I better get going. Feel better ok? And try calling Ray; I know he's probably beating himself up right now for what happened with Travis."

Lily nodded as Robbie waved and left her room, closing the door behind him.

"Thank you, Robbie…" Lilly said softly to herself, reaching over to her lime green cordless phone. She took in a deep breath and dialed Ray's number.

**The Next Day At School…**

Ray sat slumped over in his lap on the stairs that morning at school. _'She hates me, I know it. She called me and apologized, but I can't shake the feeling that she doesn't like me anymore.'_

No sooner he thought that, Lily walked up to him, placing a comforting hand on his head.

"Ray."

He kept his head on his knees, not daring to look up, loving how warm Lily's hand was against his head. Ray inwardly groaned at that. _'This is not the time to be thinking like that.'_

"Um…About yesterday, I'm sorry. I should have told you sooner and it wasn't fair to you, or Robbie, to leave you guys in the dark like that…" she continued on but Ray had stopped listening, painfully accepted the fact that he and Lily could never be.

Lily removed her hand from his head and sat down on the step below the one he was sitting on. "We're still best friends, right? I really would hate to lose you over this, Ray."

Ray finally looked up and glanced at her. He hesitated, then placed a strong hand onto her cheek, looking into her eyes.

"I will always be your best bud, Lily, no matter."

'_And that's all I'll ever be…But it's enough, I guess'_ Ray added in his mind, rubbing Lily's cheek softly. She blushed slightly and smiled.

"Thank you, Ray." She leaned up and hugged him around his waist, burring her head in his chest.

Ray smiled and rubbed her back gently. Just then, Robbie walked up and took in the scene before him.

"Hey, guys. Glad to see you two are on speaking terms again."

Ray and Lily pulled themselves away from each other and out of the hug, both smiling a bit. It was then that Lily noticed something.

"Um, where's Travis?" she asked, looking around. Ray inwardly sighed. _'We just shared a special moment back there and she still has him on her mind. Will I always be on the back burner?'_ Ray shook his head.

Robbie glanced around. "Not sure. I haven't seen him yet. Ray did do quite a number on him, so maybe he's staying home today."

Ray sighed. "I'm sor-"

Lily placed a hand on his mouth. "No, Ray, no more apologizing. What's done is done. I'm sure he'll show up later on in the day."

Ray merely nodded his head as Lily moved her hand away, the warmth of it lingering on his lips. _'Keep it there. Better yet, place your lips on mines and…Ugh, I have to stop thinking like this! Lily needs me to be a friend right now, not some hormonal crazed boy.' _Ray shut his mind up and stood.

"Okay. Well, we better get to class" he said, walking up the steps, Robbie and Lily following suit.

**Later On…**

Robbie, Ray and Lily walked their way to the RFR station after school, Lily in the lead. _'He wasn't in school. Maybe he'll still come to the RFR session. God, I hope so.'_ She opened the door and called out.

"Travis? Are you here?"

Ray and Robbie soon came in, Robbie walking to the back of the tech booth as Ray sat down. Robbie saw the chalkboard that Travis often used for RFR callers, a message written on it.

"Um, you guys, I think you should come and look at this."

Ray got up and he and Lily made their way over towards Robbie, peeking inside the tech booth. Lily gasped, her hands covering her mouth in surprise. Ray blinked, not believing what he saw.

"Sorry. I went out on a journey. I need to clear my thoughts before I can return." The chalkboard read in Travis's neat handwriting.

'_Without Travis here, could this be the end of RFR?'_ Robbie thought.

**Meanwhile, in Principle Waller's Room…**

"Let's see what those misfits are up to today." Waller said to himself, turning his small brown radio on. What he heard was dead air. Waller blinked, then smirked.

"Well, what do we have here? Why nothing, of course. I wonder why…" Waller reached for the phone and dialed the radio station's number, getting no answer.

"Well I'll be…" Waller hung up and started to think to himself._ 'I'll have to monitor this for the next few days. If it continues to be this way, then there's no more monkey on my shoulder. Splendid.'_

A/N: Uh oh, Waller is already catching on. And with Travis disappearance, could this possibly be the end of RFR? What will the others do? And will Lily ever find her match?

Turn in next to the shocking conclusion.


	6. Chapter Six

Quick Overview: Do not own RFR, but I wish I did, then the show would keep going on forever! Anyway, last chapter left out with Travis leaving on his journey. This is the finale chapter, hope you all enjoy it and thanks to all that became a fan on my fanfic. Sorry for the long wait. I can not believe the show ended. And there's a bit of a spoiler from the finale episode…Well, on with the story.

**Chapter Six**: Finale Chapter

Days passed and no one heard a single word from Travis. Lily was on the verge of a breakdown and there was nothing Robbie or Ray could say to comfort her as the days ticked by. The trio was not the only ones that noticed Travis's absent. Surprising, the whole school started to catch on that their '_weird new_' guy was missing. Principal Waller also took note and tried calling Travis's parents to notify them of his absent at school, reaching no one on the other end though. This confused Waller a bit and wondered if Travis even had any parents, or a home no less.

"I can't believe he just up and left like that. This is really tearing Lily apart…" Robbie stated while he sat next to Ray in forth bell at school, five days all ready passing by with no sign of Travis. Lily was at home, called in "sick" and Robbie thought it was a perfect opportunity to talk to Ray about Travis, not wanting Lily to cry and such while they discussed this.

"Yeah…" was Rays only response, for he knew how much this was upsetting Lily. And what really ticked him off was that he could not do anything to help her out her state of despair.

"Aren't you concerned, Ray?" Robbie asked, wanting Ray's help.

"You already know I am! I can't stand how helpless I feel. I can't stand seeing Lily beating herself over this. I mean, I've been her friend since forever and have always been there for her, you and me both. But now, it's like she's becoming a stranger to us, not being herself and everything. I just can't stand it."

Robbie sighed and turned some of his attention to the front of the class, where the English teacher was going over a Shakespearean work. He was glad they were in the back of the class, not wanting the teacher to scold them for talking while he gave a lesson.

"Look, we need to form a plan." Robbie stated, pulling out a blank piece of paper, pencil posed in his right hand.

"A plan? No plan right now will help us right now. All we can do is wait for him to come back, like it said on his message." Ray said, running a hand through his dark brown hair, sighing a bit.

"We can't just wait around, we have to do something now, before Lily does something stupid again like k-" Robbie stopped short on his sentence, remembering he never told Ray that Lily had a knife out and was ready to slice her arm that night Ray and Travis fought.

Ray glanced at Robbie, raising an eyebrow. "Say what? Tell me you weren't about to say what I think you were going to say."

"Uh…" Robbie mentally kicked himself for letting the cat out of the bag, well, at least partly. Damn Ray for catching him in a faux pas.

"Finish it, Robbie."

"Well, you see…Remember that night Lily ran off and you told me to check up on her?"

"Yeah" Ray said simply, wanting Robbie to get to the point. He did not want to remember that night, for he was trying to block the sight of Lily's tear stained face out of his mind.

"Well…She…"

**Meanwhile With Travis…**

Travis walked along the long narrowing railroad tracks. He did not know where he was going, but he knew that he needed to leave Roscoe for a while, to clear his cobweb-like thoughts. He kicked a small pebble about while he walked, looking at the ground. He had to decide what he was going to do. While he loved Lily a great deal, he did value the friendship he built with Ray. He did not want to lose neither, but he knew he had to. There was no way he could be with Lily and still have Ray as a friend, just no way. And what about Robbie? He would most likely take Ray's side, for they have been friends for a long time. While Travis contemplated more, he stopped walking and sat next to the tracks. '_Maybe it would be best I left Roscoe all together…_"

**Outside of Lily's House…**

Ray and Robbie walked along the sidewalk leading to Lily's house. Ray was enraged, to say the least and Robbie could only blame himself for it. When he told Ray what happened with Lily and what she almost did to herself, Ray lost it, storming out of school in the middle of class. Robbie had no choice but to follow, for he did not want Ray to be blinded by his emotions and do anything foolish to Lily, or to himself.

Ray rounded the side of the house and headed straight for the basement, where he knew the door would be unlocked. He went down the three steps and swung the door.

"Lily!" Ray shouted.

Lily sat up from the couch, startled, rubbing her slightly red eyes. Her gaze focus on the open door and saw Ray and Robbie in the doorframe. She frowned slightly, confused on why they were here and not at school.

"Ray? What are you…" She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence, because Ray ran over to her and grabbed her up in a huge bear hug, holding her tight.

"Damn it, Lily. Damn you…" Ray's body shook with tears, not caring if it did not look macho of him to cry. Robbie could only stand back, and make sure Ray controlled himself.

"Ray, what's wrong? Is it Travis? Is he hurt?" Lily asked, dreading the worst.

Ray shook his head slowly. "This isn't about Travis. Lily, why…Why did you even consider doing that to yourself? Don't you know by now how much you mean to me? I know, this is not the time to say this and it will probably never be the right time, but, Lily, you need to know. I love you. I love you so much, it hurts, watching you worry only Travis and never, ever considering me more than a friend. I know it seems down right selfish for me to be saying this, considering, but…Lily, please, please do not kill yourself!"

Lily blinked, Ray's whole confession astounding her until the end part, where it confused her. "Kill myself? When…Oh! Ray, I would never do that, I don't even know why I had the damn knife in the first place. Even if Robbie didn't come in when he did, I wouldn't have gone through with it. Know why? Because I know how much that would hurt you and Robbie, and Travis. I knew that you all cared for me in your own ways and to even attempt doing that…I was stupid for even considering it."

Ray looked up at Lily's face, noting the slight puffiness in her eyes, the tint of red and her watered down smile on her face. He held onto her, not wanting to let go.

Robbie eased his way out of the room, knowing for sure that there would no fighting going on and that they needed to be alone to work this out. He silently wished them the best of luck and started his plan on bringing Travis back to them.

The minutes ticked by, Ray not letting Lily go, the room silent until he could not stand it anymore. "Lily…"

"Yeah?"

"I love you." He had to repeat it, he just had to. He was not sure she heard him the first time, because he knew he ran on in his confession.

Lily closed her eyes, not believing what she was about to say. "I…I love you too, Ray."

"As a friend, right?" Ray asked, needing the clarification.

"…More than that."

"What about Travis?..."

"I've realized that, while I felt sad and lonely that he left, I knew you would be there. You've always been there for me. And while I like Travis, it's just not the same as how I feel for you. We have a history, which I value and I want to create even more history and memories with you."

Ray could not believe it. He let Lily go slowly and looked at her. "You're not just saying that, are you?"

"No. I really want to be with you, Ray. You probably think I'm fickle and I probably don't deserve your love and…" her rambling was stopped as Ray kissed her lightly on the lips. He pulled back with a smile.

"Did anyone ever tell you, you talk too much sometimes?"

Lily punched him in the arm, smiling a bit. "Shut up and kiss me again."

And he did.

**Meanwhile with Robbie…**

Robbie sat in the RFR radio station. He knew no one would show up for the broadcasting, but he could dream, right? He hoped Lily and Ray made up, because he knew it would be a shame if they did not, even if they had to remain as friends. Robbie closed his eyes. He needed to think his plan through. Just as he pulled some notebook paper out, he heard the door creaked open. Robbie glanced over and could not believe his eyes.

"Travis!" Robbie got up and rushed over to him, almost tripping on a wire on the floor. "My god man, where did you run off to?"

Travis just shook his head. "All will be explained once I have everyone present."

Robbie blinked and glanced at the black and white clock on the wall. It read 2:14PM.

"Well, Ray and Lily won't be here until 4, most likely."

Travis nodded then realized something. "Wait, how come you're not at school?"

"Uh, yeah, about that…" Robbie could not believe his luck, or lack of it therefore. He had to tell the story again, and he did not know how Travis would react to it. "Well, you see.."

Soon the time reached 3:58PM and Ray and Lily rushed into the room.

"Sorry we're late-" Lily began, then noticed Travis sitting in the tech booth. It was as if he never left and that the whole escapade was some surreal dream. "Travis!"

Lily ran over and into the booth, hugging Travis and squeezing him before he had time to react. He tentatively hugged her back. "Hey, Lily."

"Don't 'Hey, Lily' me! We were worried sick about you! Where did you go?"

Travis sighed and pried Lily off of him gently. He wanted to change the subject on why she had that damn knife, but he contemplated that it was irreversible at that moment. "I have something I need you all to know."

Lily took her seat, as did Ray. Travis came out of the tech booth and stood before his Roscoe friends. They were truly his friends, he knew this and he hoped they would accept what he had to say next.

"I'm leaving Roscoe in two days. I did not decide this myself, for it was my father. He wants me to come back home to Hong Kong. I am truly sorry for the short notice and I hope that if I ever come back, I can meet up with you all and carry on as if I never left."

Ray and Lily stared at Travis in disbelief. Robbie sat silent, for he all ready knew the news.

"What! No, you can't leave, Travis. There has to be a way for you to stay." Lily said, tears threatening to fall from her eyes and upon her cheeks for the second time that day.

"Yeah, man. I think the journey you took did something with your mind. I'm sorry for the way I treated you recently and I really hope you're not leaving because of that." Ray stated.

Travis shook his head. "No. I would never leave because we had a feud, to put it mildly."

"We're really going to miss you, Travis…" Lily said in a shaky voice, a tear escaping her left eye. Travis walked over and wiped it away gently.

"Do not cry over this. I'm used to my life always being on the go."

"But we're not! Can't Roscoe be your permanent home?"

Travis shook his head, again. "I'm afraid not. Look at it this way, while I may not be here physically, if you guys keep me in your memories, then it is like I never left."

"It won't be the same without you, though." Robbie said, coming into the conversation.

"Don't worry, I'll keep in touch. Well, I'll try to anyway. Anyway, we better get the show going; we're already 15 minutes behind schedule."

They did the show, all of them knowing it would very well be their last one together as a whole. While the mood was a bit sullen in the station, it was also wistful, in a way. They all realized that they could not do RFR forever, and that their lives were changing and that was okay with them.

The show soon ended and they all stood up to leave.

"I guess this is it, huh?" Ray said, smiling sadly a little.

Travis nodded and placed a hand on Ray's shoulder. "For the moment, yes. I believe, we will meet again some day." Travis patted Ray's shoulder before making his way over to Lily. She looked a bit distraught and she tried to smile but failed miserably. She pulled Travis into a huge hug, crying a bit.

"Don't forget to write, okay?"

Travis smiled gently and patted her back. "I won't." He pulled away from her softly and touched her cheek. "Take good care of her, Ray."

Ray nodded and hugged Lily from behind while Travis went over to Robbie.

"You were the first I met here and I value all the time we shared together. You're a great friend and it was nice having you mediate us when things got difficult." Travis hugged the slightly taller guy, ending it with a somewhat simple handshake.

Robbie smiled thoughtfully. "If you…No, when you come back, you know where to find us, man. Just turn into 88.3FM"

Travis nodded. "Well, I better pack my things. I'll keep you all in my thoughts always."

The trio nodded as Travis walked out of the station for the last time.

**Meanwhile in Principal Waller's Office**.

_'That was their last broadcast?'_ Waller thought as he turned off his small radio. He could not help but feel a bit…Sad at that thought. Sure they were miscreants and started a bit of trouble at the school, but Waller had to admit, at least to himself, that it made the school years interesting and a little exciting. Waller sighed and ran a hand down his red tie. '_Well, I guess it is for the best_,' Waller thought, getting up to leave and heading home.

**Back At the Station**.

"RFR is over. Can you believe it?" Robbie asked his best friends of many years as they walked along the railroad tracks to their homes.

"It's not truly over, remember? The station will always be if ever wanted to come back." Lily said, her hand secured in Ray's.

"And look at it like these railroad tracks here. They go on forever, they take us to places we've never encountered before. And sure, the tracks have rusted and have been forgotten about at the turn of the century, but they're still here. They have been here since we were little and will remain. And I bet, if we walked far enough, it'll lead us to Travis and vise versa." Ray stated, surprised that he could think up such a thought out analogy.

Lily and Robbie stared at him for a few heartbeats before laughing joyously.

"Wow, Ray, I didn't think you had it in you to sound that profound." Lily said, earning a slight pinch on her hand from Ray.

"Really, man. For a second there, I thought Travis was right here with us." Robbie laughed a bit again, then his smiled faded around the edges, the realization of Travis being gone from their lives hitting him like a freight train.

Ray saw the smile diminish as Robbie looked up at the azure sky thoughtfully. Ray swung an arm around Robbie's shoulders and nudged him. "Don't be so glum, chum."

Robbie smiled again. "You're right, you know? About the train tracks and all. I'm sure our paths will cross again some day."

They trio walked along, Lily humming a bit as they made their way home, the sun setting in nice hues of red, orange, and pink.

END


	7. Chapter Seven

Epilogue 

'_I can not believe I am here'_, a twenty-seven year old Robbie thought as he stood on the gym floor, glancing at all the paper and plastic decorations skewed everywhere on the walls and ceiling. The bright aqua green and white streamers were all most too much for his eyes to handle. Most than anything, he wanted out of the eighty dollar suit. As his eyes scanned the floor, he noticed a familiar pair. He waved them over and smiled, taking noting of a gold band on the woman's finger.

"Well look who it is. And are my eyes deceiving me or is that a ring on that finger, Miss Brenham."

A twenty-six year old Lily smiled softly then punched Robbie lightly in the arm. "Shush, you."

Robbie smiled and glanced over at Ray. "So when is the big day?"

"August 24th" they couple said in unison.

Robbie laughed at how similar they were then noticed a young man with ear length hair standing at about 5'7 in the front entrance. '_Well I'll be…,' _Robbie thought. "Hey, you guys, look behind you."

The grinning couple turned and Lily gasped. "Travis!" Lily rushed over to the awaiting man and practically knocked him over.

Travis spun her around and smiled gleefully. "Hey, Lily. Hey, Ray. Hey, Robbie."

Lily finally detached herself from Travis and stood with the others, all three taking in the new look. Travis had on a white dress shirt, suede tan jeans with a black dress tie, black dress shoes, and hair long enough that fell into his eyes whenever he inclined his head down.

"It's so great to see you again, even if it's at our High School Reunion." Robbie stated with a goofy grin on his face.

Travis nodded. "Yeah."

"Are you…staying a while?" Ray asked, hoping Travis caught the double meaning.

"I plan on staying here a long while, Ray."

"Great! Then you can come for a momentous occasion on the 24th of August."

Fin

A/N: Wow, it's finally over, my fic and the show. I almost let out a tear when I saw the series finale and when I wrote my fic. Sad, but true. Like the old cliché goes though, all good things must come to an end. Thanks to everyone that supported me along the way, I enjoyed writing this a lot. R&R if you wish, even if it's to say hi.


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